Advanced supramolecular design for direct ink writing of soft materials

Abstract

This review draws connections between top-down direct-ink-writing and bottom-up supramolecular designs. Examples of supramolecularly designed viscoelastic inks and perspectives of using supramolecular motifs for 3D printing have been discussed.

Direct ink writing of metal‐based electrocatalysts for Li–S batteries with efficient polysulfide conversion

“…[41,85,86] Among various 3D printing technologies, DIW has become a commonly adopted technology for fabricating Li-S batteries owing to its unique characteristics and advantages. [87] However, DIW technology has certain limitations and challenges. Some of these include high ink requirements, the relatively weak mechanical properties of printed structures, and the need for additional post-processing steps.…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [87] Copyright 2023, Royal Society of Chemistry. challenges in mitigating the shuttle effect.…”

“…Moreover, it can be used to build complicated 3D structures of any shape and high precision, as shown in Figure 5. [ 87 ] Unlike other printing methods, DIW has high geometric orientation and design adaptability that will facilitate both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane structure design. Additionally, the thickness of the electrodes can be controlled to remain between a few hundred nanometers and millimeters.…”

3D printing of hierarchically micro/nanostructured electrodes for high-performance rechargeable batteries

“…2a). 44,49 This DIW printing process boasts a wide range of advantages, including facile operation, wide adoption, low cost, and the ability to create complex geometries when compared to other traditional manufacturing techniques.…”

3D-printed ketoenamine crosslinked polyrotaxane hydrogels and their mechanochromic responsiveness

“…11,12,17,28 Among these DCC reactions, reversible imine condensation has been used to construct direct-inkwrite (DIW) 3D printing materials, 22,28 because the reversibility of imine bond formation and dissociation can facilitate the shear-thinning and self-healing properties required for DIW. 29,30 However, the chemical stability of imine linkages in these viscoelastic hydrogels is often concerning due to the abundance of ambient water favoring the equilibrium towards the starting materials. 7,31 On the other hand, α-cyclodextrin (α-CD)-based polypseudorotaxanes have also been introduced as viscoelastic hydrogels for DIW, [32][33][34][35][36] where the micro-crystalline domains formed between the polypseudorotaxanes serve to noncovalently crosslink the network.…”